“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BoxtrollsFamilyNite http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”
We love watching movies as a family and recently discovered the oh-so-adorable movie called The Boxtrolls! Combined with Soft and Gooey Caramel Popcorn Balls on sticks, easy Boxtroll costumes, and paper cheese hats, it was the perfect night!
We’ve designated every Monday night at our house to what we call “Family Home Evening”. We spend time together without distractions from school work, video games, tablets, and smart phones, etc. It’s a breath of fresh air that we look forward to each week.
We choose a fun activity to do as a family this particular night, which typically ends up being a movie that we see together. The evening just isn’t complete without a special dessert! That’s usually my favorite part. 🙂
When we saw The Boxtrolls on shelves during our last shopping trip to Walmart, we knew we needed to give it a watch! And because it’s not a movie without popcorn, we picked up some Pop Secret (10 count) to use in our family night treat. We like Pop Secret because it’s the butteriest, most flavorful popcorn and tastes just like the kind you can get at the movie theater.
I was in the mood for some serious Soft and Gooey Salted Caramel Popcorn Balls, so that’s what we got. 🙂 And, it’s a snack that I’m sure The Boxtrolls would gobble right up!
Because everything needs a little dose of chocolate, at least in my book, I drizzled them with melted dark chocolate. It’s an easy breezy thing to make that the whole family will love!
{SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN BALLS}
16 c. popped popcorn (about two bags of Pop Secret popcorn)
2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. karo syrup
1/4 c. salted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Chocolate chips for melting and drizzling
Pop 2 bags (or about 16 cups) of Pop Secret Movie Butter Popcorn.
Prepare caramel sauce by stirring together brown sugar, karo syrup, butter, and salt in a large pan over medium heat. Allow to boil, stirring constantly. Immediately remove from heat and stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Return to heat and allow to boil again, stirring constantly. Immediately pour over popcorn and lightly toss/stir to coat.
Allow popcorn to cool for a little while or it will be impossible to form balls. When it’s mostly or all the way cool, get two pieces of wax paper and use them to grab a handful of caramel popcorn. Insert a popsicle stick and pack it together tightly with your hands over the wax paper. Carefully remove wax paper. You’ll need new pieces of wax paper for each ball.
Lay the balls on a wax or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.
Now enjoy them while watching The Boxtrolls! My kids were mesmerized by it.
I whipped up some Boxtroll costumes by simply cutting out circles for the head, and arms in some boxes we had in our garage. I like to keep boxes around just for occasions like these. They always come in handy. 🙂
I was the coolest mom on the block for this! The kids thought being a Boxtroll was pretty awesome. My son woke up the next morning and first thing put his box on. 🙂 He decided he was “Fish” because “Fish was the nicest Boxtroll”. 🙂
Since the city’s mayor/Lord in the movie is obsessed with fine cheese, I made some cheese hats by folding yellow paper and cutting out holes. It was super easy. See a quick tutorial HERE for how it’s done. I made mine without the tassels of course. Just make sure your paper isn’t square.
It was such a fun evening and I loved that the movie had an underlying value of “You make you” No one else can tell you who you are or who you should be.
The “lessers” in the village wore red hats and the “higher ups” wore the white hats. The goal, of course, especially for the main villain, was to become a “white hat”, so he tried to claw his way to the top, without a care for others.
I got to talk to my kids afterwards about how each of us determines our own destiny and can choose our own path. Also, that we should be careful about judging others based solely on their appearance. Everyone in the town seriously misjudged the Boxtrolls just because they looked scary and mean, but they weren’t like that in actuality.
We had a wonderful evening dressing up, eating yummy caramel popcorn balls, watching The Boxtrolls, and just enjoying some precious time together as a family. The movie has been on instant replay at our house since we got it! :)Be sure to grab a copy and some 10 count Pop Secret popcorn (while supplies last) on your next trip to Walmart so you can have your own fun family movie night soon!
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